ORIGINAL STORY: Windows machines won't be the only ones simulating cities filled with curvy roads next February; EA announced today that the next entry in the SimCity franchise (which is decidedly not being called SimCity 5, for some reason) will also be available for OS X.

The Mac version will be available as a digital download through EA's sometimes maligned Origin download service, a version of which will be coming to the Mac later this year, the company said. It's not clear if there will also be a retail version or other download options available—EA has previously said that the Windows version will also be available through other download services. EA did point out that the game's online features would allow for cross-platform interaction between cities in both the Windows and OS X versions.

SimCity has historically shown Apple's platforms just as much love as their Microsoft-powered brethren, ever since the original game launched on the Mac slightly before Windows in 1989. Further computer versions of the city-building simulation have generally hit the Mac at the same time or shortly after their PC cousins, though 2007's SimCity Societies was a Windows exclusive.

Kyle Orland / Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in the Washington, DC area.